The series is a partnership between Meridian17, the Dutch-South African think-and-do tank working on Africa-Europe business partnership, and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung's Media Programme Sub-Saharan Africa (KAS Media Africa). It launches on Wednesday, 26 August, with the first episode available now as a preview, says the partnership.

Africa's media landscape is changing fast. A young, connected population is consuming and producing news in new ways, while newsrooms grapple with funding pressures, digital disruption and persistent stereotypes in how the continent is covered abroad. Media in Africa unpacks these shifts, and what they mean for anyone reporting on, doing business with, or partnering with the continent.

The series is presented by Georja Calvin-Smith, the Paris-based journalist and broadcaster who anchors France 24's daily Eye on Africa bulletin. With more than two decades in international current affairs broadcasting, and a regular moderator for institutions including the African Development Bank and the OECD, she brings both the journalistic craft and the Africa-Europe fluency the series demands, adds the partnership.

According to the partnership, confirmed guests include: 

  • Lisa MacLeod: former Managing Editor of the Financial Times and the first female Vice President of WAN-IFRA.
  • Marie Lora-Mungai: Founder and CEO of Restless Global and a leading authority on financing Africa's creative and media industries.
  • Stephanie Busari: award-winning journalist and CNN's Senior Editor for Africa.
  • Moky Makura: Executive Director of Africa No Filter.
  • Ruud Elmendorp: Africa-correspondent for the Telegraaf, Voice of America and Deutsche Welle.
  • Mamaponya Motsai: CEO of Fraycollege of Communications.

"The way Africa and Europe understand each other is shaped by media. Businesses and investors, policymakers and the public on both continents rely on independent, high-quality news coverage. This is why, before we can tell any other stories, our first podcast series hands the microphone to those who make our African media or tell the stories about our continent," says Kelly Alexander, President of Meridian17.

"A free, independent and economically viable media landscape is the backbone of democracy in sub-Saharan Africa. This series makes the voices of the continent's leading media practitioners accessible to a broad audience, in Africa and in Europe, and that dialogue is precisely what KAS Media Africa works to foster," adds Hendrik Sittig, Director of KAS Media Africa.

For more information, visit www.meridian17.org.

*Image courtesy of contributor